After finalizing all the plans, Ethan Chen stepped back from the daily grind and left the messy logistics to his father. He simply instructed him to reach out to Stark Industries, then returned to his room, locked the door, and began pulling out various items from his high-tech storage to study.
There was a mountain of tech sourced from Huaqiangbei, and Ethan needed to sort through it all.
"Xiao Ai, has the compact reactor been manufactured yet?"
Long before this, Ethan had already used the production line in his Huaqiangbei system to manufacture the reactor. He also instructed Xiao Ai, his AI assistant, to combine existing technology and build a prototype battle armor.
The armor was completed—but it bore a strong resemblance to Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger suit: bulky, powerful, but rudimentary by modern standards. And critically, it lacked any AI operating system like Tony Stark's Jarvis. This meant it had to be manually piloted, which made it cumbersome and difficult to operate.
For that reason, Ethan had shelved it for the time being. It just wasn't practical to deploy right now.
Still, the armor's mere existence was a powerful safety net.
In today's world, very few individuals or weapons could pose a serious threat to a suit like the Iron Monger. Even if it couldn't win every fight, it would give Ethan enough strength—or time—to retreat safely if needed.
"It's a shame I can't take it out for a spin. It'd be fun to mess around with it somewhere remote."
But, ultimately, Ethan wasn't that interested in this old-school model. It was outdated—fine for experimentation or emergencies, but not exciting. What he truly wanted was Tony Stark's sleek Iron Man armor.
"Now all that's left is to wait…"
As he held the small Arc Reactor glowing with a soft blue light in his palm, Ethan smiled.
Everything was in place. All he had to do was be patient.
…
"I am Iron Man!"
Half a month later, while browsing the internet from his home in China, Ethan grinned when he saw the headline.
Iron Man had officially made his debut!
Just like in the original storyline, Tony Stark had donned his Iron Man suit, flown to the Middle East, and destroyed a stash of Stark Industries weapons. He then had Pepper Potts copy files from Obadiah Stane's computer, uncovering proof that Obadiah had orchestrated Tony's kidnapping. The plan had been to bribe terrorists into eliminating Tony and seizing control of the company.
Once the betrayal came to light, Obadiah forcibly removed Tony's Arc Reactor and used it to power his own Iron Monger suit.
The resulting battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger was intense and very public. Tony ultimately emerged victorious—and to top it all off, he made a dramatic statement at a press conference by publicly declaring, "I am Iron Man!"
With that single sentence, the Marvel Universe had officially launched.
"It's time to go back to America," Ethan said to himself.
Now that Iron Man's armor had been perfected and revealed to the world, it was the perfect opportunity for Ethan to make his move.
He had been eyeing this tech for a long time, and now that it was real and accessible, he couldn't wait any longer. The moment had come to go to the United States and get his hands on it.
Coincidentally, Xiaomu Technologies—his startup—had just been successfully established with help from his father. Using the Huaqiangbei production line, Ethan had created the first-generation Xiaomu smartphone. It was the first Android-based phone to use the new MOS operating system.
He planned to present this phone to Stark Industries and officially launch it into the market.
"Oh, and while I'm there, I should also dissect Jarvis's architecture."
With that thought, Ethan got up and walked out of his room.
"Mr. Chen, do you need anything?" a crisp voice called as he opened the door.
Standing outside was a capable and strikingly beautiful young woman, holding a folder full of documents. Her name was Xu Jia, introduced as a "financial expert" sent by a government bureau.
But Ethan knew better—this title was just a cover.
In reality, Xu Jia had been assigned as his bodyguard. She was there to ensure his safety but also to keep a close eye on him. She was monitoring him on behalf of the authorities.
Ethan was well aware of her dual role, but it didn't bother him. After all, there was no way she could uncover the secrets of his Huaqiangbei system.
Still, to keep up appearances, Ethan occasionally pretended to work on "cutting-edge research" to maintain his cover as a tech genius.
He also knew that Xu Jia would likely pass some of his research to government officials. But he didn't mind. Ethan had always intended to share certain technologies with China anyway, so this just saved him the effort of doing it himself.
"I'm heading to the U.S.," Ethan said bluntly. He saw no reason to hide it—if government agents were monitoring him, they would find out anyway.
"The U.S.?" Xu Jia raised an eyebrow. Clearly, this posed a problem for her mission.
"What, am I not even allowed to go to the States now?" Ethan said with a wry smile. "Our agreement didn't say anything about restricting my freedom of movement."
"Besides, I'm going for business reasons. I need to meet with Stark Industries and finalize some research partnerships. It's not like I'm leaving permanently."
"I understand, Mr. Chen. That's not the issue," Xu Jia replied. "It's your safety I'm worried about. We can't guarantee your protection overseas."
Ethan waved it off. "Don't worry about that. I'll be fine."
With a battle suit stored safely in his warehouse, he had more protection than most world leaders.
"I still need to report this to my superiors," Xu Jia said with a sigh. She stepped out and pulled out her phone to make the call.
Ethan sank into the couch and grabbed the remote control, flipping on the TV while waiting.
Since Xu Jia had been assigned to him, she'd rarely left his side. Aside from when he showered or went to the bathroom, she was always there.
Under normal circumstances, having a stunning, fit woman constantly nearby might sound like a dream for most men. But Xu Jia wasn't just any woman—she was a government "spy" who reported his every move.
Privacy? That was a distant memory.
To make matters worse, Xu Jia was highly trained in combat. If Ethan ever tried to escape or do anything suspicious, she could stop him in an instant. Outrunning or outmatching her physically was out of the question.
This left Ethan in a strange emotional limbo. Was it a mistake to put himself in the public eye? He wasn't sure anymore.
But then again, this was the Marvel Universe. Things worked differently here.
"There's no need to be overly cautious. As long as I stay patriotic and contribute to my country's strength, they'll give me leeway."
In the end, actions spoke louder than surveillance. Ethan planned to give his nation powerful tools. That kind of contribution could earn him some slack, even if he broke a few rules along the way.
And once he finished the Iron Man armor?
He could just fly away if he had to.
What's Xu Jia going to do—sprout wings and chase him?